Identifying volte to different technology types

ABSTRACT

A computer device may include a memory configured to store instructions and a processor configured to execute the instructions to detect a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) call and identify an available technology type to carry the SIP call from an originating device. The processor may be further configured to execute the instructions to generate an originating available technology type header that includes information identifying the identified available technology type to carry the SIP call from the originating device and forward the SIP call toward a destination with the generated originating available technology type header.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/146,415 filed on May 4, 2016, the contents of which are herebyincorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Wireless communication networks continue to evolve. A provider ofwireless communication services may have to work with multiple wirelessaccess networks. Different access networks (including home and roamingnetworks) may be configured with different capabilities. As an example,some wireless access networks may evolve to newer technologies andlegacy service may not be available. As another example, a serviceprovider may start a new service in a geographical area, but may notoffer a legacy service. Thus, the provider of wireless communicationservices may need to manage different types of wireless access networksin order to provide users with the best service possible in a specificnetwork configuration.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an environment according to animplementation described herein;

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating exemplary components of a device thatmay be included in one or more components of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating exemplary functional components of theuser equipment (UE) device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating exemplary functional components of theback-to-back user agent (B2BUA) device or Session Initiation Protocol(SIP) gateway device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5A is a diagram illustrating exemplary functional components of theVoice Over Long Term Evolution (VoLTE) analysis system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5B is a diagram illustrating exemplary functional components of thestatistics database of FIG. 5A;

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating exemplary components of a SIP messageaccording in an implementation described herein;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a first process for adding a technology typeheader according to an implementation described herein;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a second process for adding a technology typeheader according to an implementation described herein;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a process for using technology type informationobtained from SIP headers according to an implementation describedherein;

FIG. 10 is a diagram of a first exemplary signal flow according to animplementation described herein;

FIG. 11 is a diagram of a second exemplary signal flow according to animplementation described herein; and

FIG. 12 is a diagram of a third exemplary signal flow according to animplementation described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings.The same reference numbers in different drawings identify the same orsimilar elements.

A provider of wireless communication services may manage Long TermEvolution (LTE) wireless access networks (e.g., evolved packet core(EPC) networks) based on the LTE standard specified by the 3^(rd)Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). An LTE wireless access networkmay include Voice over LTE (VoLTE) functionality. A VoLTE network orservice may deliver voice service as data flows within an LTE databearer. In other words, a VoLTE service provides a packet-switchedconnection for voice communications. Thus, a VoLTE enabled accessnetwork may not need to make use of legacy circuit-switched voicenetworks.

Because VoLTE is a relatively new service, many wireless communicationdevices (e.g., mobile phones, tablets, Machine-Type Communication (MTC)fixed wireless devices, etc.) may not be enabled for VoLTE, may be in anarea where VoLTE is not available, or may not be able to take advantageof existing VoLTE service for various reasons. Furthermore, devices mayuse other technology types to connect to a provider network. A providerof communication services may need to monitor technology types used toconnect to a provider network and/or used to establish voicecommunication sessions, such as Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) calls.As an example, the provider of communication services may need todetermine whether a particular service area needs to be targeted forupgrade for VoLTE service. As another example, the provider ofcommunication services may need to detect that VoLTE is not being usedin a particular service area, or by particular subscribers or types ofsubscribers, even though VoLTE is available.

Implementations described herein relate to identifying VoLTE calls todifferent technology types. Headers may be added to SIP messages (e.g.,a SIP INVITE message, a SIP ACK message, a SIP 200-OK message, etc.) toidentify available and/or selected technology types. For example, afirst header may be added to identify an available originatingtechnology type, a second header may be added to identify a selectedoriginating technology type, a third header may be added to identify anavailable terminating technology type, and/or a fourth header may beadded to identify a selected terminating technology type. In someimplementations, the headers may correspond to Private-Communication(P-COM) headers. In other implementations, the headers may correspond toa different type of SIP header.

The phrase “technology type” may refer to whether a communication deviceis connected to a provider network via a wired connection or via awireless connection; may refer to a type of wireless connection, such asa type of wireless access network and/or whether voice communicationsare carried using a VoLTE connection or a Code Division Multiple Access(CDMA) connection; may refer to a type of available CDMA connection(e.g., 1×RTT, Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO), enhanced High RatePacket Data (eHRPD), etc.); may refer to whether the communicationdevice is connected using a base station or using a short-range wirelesscommunication method, such as WiFi; may refer to a type of wiredconnection, such as whether the communication device is connected usingan Internet Protocol (IP) connection or whether the communication deviceis connected using the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN); and/ormay refer to a different type of connection between the communicationdevice and a provider network. For example, in some implementations, thetechnology type may be identified as VoLTE, CDMA, WiFi, PSTN, and/oranother technology type. The phrase “originating technology type” mayrefer to a type of connection between a calling device originating,placing, or initiating a SIP call and a provider network. The phrase“terminating technology type” may refer to a type of connection betweena called device terminating or receiving a SIP call and the providernetwork.

A computer device may detect a SIP call, may identify an availabletechnology type to carry the SIP call from an originating device, maygenerate an originating available technology type header that includesinformation identifying the identified available technology type tocarry the SIP call from the originating device, and forward the SIP calltoward a destination with the generated originating available technologytype header. A technology type may be described as “carrying” a SIP callif the technology type, along with associated protocols and standards,is used to establish and maintain a SIP communication session. Ifmultiple technology types are available, in some implementations, aparticular technology type may be designated as the “best” availabletechnology type and indicated as the available technology type. As anexample, if CDMA and VoLTE technology types are available, VoLTE may bedesignated as the available technology type. In other implementations,multiple available technology types may be identified and included inthe originating available technology type header.

Furthermore, in some situations, a different technology type may beselected than an identified available technology type. As an example,VoLTE may be available to a wireless communication device and yet thewireless communication device may select CDMA for voice communications(e.g., to carry a SIP call). Thus, the computer device may identify aselected technology type to carry the SIP call from an originatingdevice, may generate an originating selected available technology typeheader that includes information identifying the originating selectedtechnology type to carry the SIP call from the originating device, andforward the SIP call toward a destination with the generated originatingselected technology type header.

Moreover, the computer device may identify an available technology typeto carry a SIP call to a terminating device, generate a terminatingavailable technology type header that includes information identifyingthe identified available technology type to carry the SIP call to theterminating device, and process the SIP call with the generatedterminating available technology type header.

The computer device may further identify a selected technology type tocarry the SIP call to the terminating device, generate a terminatingselected available technology type header that includes informationidentifying the terminating selected technology type to carry the SIPcall from the originating device, and process the SIP call with thegenerated terminating selected technology type header.

In some situations, the computer device may correspond to thecommunication device originating or terminating the SIP call. As anexample, a calling mobile phone may identify an available and/orselected technology type for the calling mobile phone and may include anoriginating technology type header in a SIP INVITE message wheninitiating a SIP call. As another example, a called mobile phone mayidentify an available and/or selected technology type for the calledmobile phone and may include a terminating technology type header in aSIP 200 OK message when responding to a SIP INVITE message.

In other situations, the computer device may correspond to a SIPgateway. For example, calls originating in the PSTN or terminating inthe PSTN may pass through a SIP gateway that converts SIP messages totime division multiplexing (TDM) signals, such as Signalling System 7(SS7) signals. The SIP gateway may act as a SIP user agent (UA) and mayadd an originating or terminating technology type header to SIPmessages.

In yet other situations, the computer device may correspond to a SIPback-to-back user agent (B2BUA). A B2BUA may function as a communicationendpoint for SIP messages within a SIP network and may interface withanother SIP network. If an originating or terminating device does nothave the capability to identify its technology type, the B2BUA may add atechnology type header when receiving a SIP INVITE message from anoriginating device and/or when receiving a SIP 200 OK message from aterminating device. Furthermore, a SIP call may originate or terminatein a different provider network. The different provider network may notprovision or configure communication devices to add headers thatidentify a technology type. Thus, the B2BUA device may maintain aprovider network database (DB) that may associate technology types withdifferent provider network or different destinations in a particularprovider network. The B2BUA device may determine that a SIP calloriginated from, or is terminating in, a different provider network andmay access the provider network DB to determine the technology typeassociated with the SIP call originated from, or is terminating in, thedifferent provider network, and may add a technology type header to theSIP call.

Implementations described herein may further relate to using theinformation included in a technology type header in a SIP call. Forexample, a VoLTE analysis system may collect and store informationrelating to SIP calls from one or more devices in a provider network,such as from a Call Session Control Function (CSCF) device, in an IPMultimedia Subsystem (IMS) network of the provider network, whichprocesses SIP calls in the provider network. The VoLTE analysis systemmay retrieve the stored information relating to the SIP calls and may,based on the technology type headers included in the SIP calls,determine a number of SIP calls for particular technology types.

For example, the VoLTE analysis system may determine a number of VoLTEto VoLTE calls within a particular time period, the number of VoLTE toCDMA calls within the particular time period, the number of CDMA toVoLTE calls within the particular time period, the number of VoLTE toWiFi calls within the particular time period, the number of WiFi toVoLTE calls within the particular time period, the number of VoLTE toPSTN calls within the particular time period, the number of PSTN toVoLTE calls within the particular time period, the number of VoLTE callsto a particular different provider network within the particular timeperiod, and/or the number of VoLTE calls received from a particulardifferent provider network within the particular time period.

Furthermore, the VoLTE analysis system may calculate, for a particularservice area, a number of SIP calls with a selected technology type thatis different than an available technology type, determine that thecalculated number of SIP calls with the selected technology type that isdifferent than the available technology type is greater than athreshold, and generate a service alarm, in response to determining thatthe calculated number of SIP calls with the selected technology typethat is different than the available technology type is greater than thethreshold. Moreover, the VoLTE analysis system may determine one or morekey performance indicators (KPIs) for a particular technology typesand/or types of SIP calls, such as a call set up rate, a call drop rate,a call complete rate, a handover rate, a resource block utilizationrate, a cell and/or base station traffic volume, a call latency rate, athroughput rate, and/or a different KPI. Furthermore, the VoLTE analysissystem may determine particular technology types used by particularsubscribers or by particular classes of subscribers.

FIG. 1 is a diagram of an exemplary environment 100 in which the systemsand/or methods, described herein, may be implemented. As shown in FIG.1, environment 100 may include user equipment (UE) devices 110-A to110-E (referred to herein collectively as “UE devices 110” andindividually as “UE device 110”), a provider network 120, a VoLTE accessnetwork 130, a CDMA access network 140, an IP network 150, a PSTN 160,and a different provider network 170. While FIG. 1 shows a single IMSnetwork 122, a single VoLTE analysis system 124, a single VoLTE accessnetwork 130, a single CDMA access network 140, a single IP network 150,and a single different provider network 170 for illustrative purposes,in practice, environment 100 may include multiple IMS networks 122,multiple VoLTE analysis systems 124, multiple VoLTE access networks 130,multiple CDMA access networks 140, multiple IP networks 150, and/ormultiple different provider networks 170.

UE device 110 may include a handheld wireless communication device(e.g., a mobile phone, a smart phone, a phablet device, etc.); awearable computer device (e.g., a head-mounted display computer device,a head-mounted camera device, a wristwatch computer device, etc.) , aglobal positioning system (GPS) device; a laptop computer, a tabletcomputer, or another type of portable computer; a media playing device;a portable gaming system; a home appliance device; a home monitoringdevice; and/or any other type of computer device with wirelesscommunication capabilities. In some implementations (e.g., UE device110-D), UE device 110 may include a telephone terminal connected to PSTN160 or to an IP network using a wired connection.

In some implementations, UE device 110 may correspond to an embeddedwireless device that communicates wirelessly with other devices over amachine-to-machine interface. For example, UE device 110 may beelectrically connected to any electronic device with a microcontroller,such as a microcontroller controlling one or more actuators, amicrocontroller controlling one or more sensors, a microcontroller thatperforms data processing, and/or another type of electronic device witha microcontroller. Examples of such devices may include a healthmonitoring device (e.g., a blood pressure monitoring device, a bloodglucose monitoring device, etc.), an asset tracking device (e.g., asystem monitoring the geographic location of a fleet of vehicles, etc.),a device controlling one or more functions of a vehicle (e.g., a climatecontrol system, an engine monitoring system, etc.), a device controllingan electronic sign (e.g., an electronic billboard, etc.), a devicecontrolling a manufacturing system (e.g., a robot arm, an assembly line,etc.), a device controlling a security system (e.g., a camera, a motionsensor, a window sensor, etc.), a device controlling a power system(e.g., a smart grid monitoring device, etc.), a device controlling afinancial transaction system (e.g., a point-of-sale terminal, a vendingmachine, a parking meter, etc.), and/or another type of electronicdevice.

Provider network 120 may include a SIP network managed by a provider ofcommunication services. Provider network 120 may interface with VoLTEaccess network 130, CDMA access network 140, IP network 150, PSTN 160,and/or different provider network 170 to communicate with each other.Provider network 120 may include one or more circuit-switched networksand/or packet-switched networks that include a local area network (LAN),a wide area network (WAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), an ad hocnetwork, an intranet, the Internet, a fiber optic-based network, awireless network, and/or any combination of these or other types ofnetworks. Provider network 120 may include an IMS network 122, VoLTEanalysis system 124, SIP gateway 126, and B2BUA device 128.

IMS network 122 may include a network for delivering IP multimediaservices as specified by 3GPP or other standards/protocols and mayprovide media flows between UE devices 110 and external IP networks orexternal circuit-switched networks (e.g., VoLTE access network 130, CDMAaccess network 140, IP network 150, PSTN 160, and/or different providernetwork 170). IMS network 122 may route and otherwise process SIP callsfor provider network 120. For example, SIP INVITE messages may be sentby a calling UE device 110 to IMS network 122 and may be forwarded byIMS network 122 to a called UE device 110. SIP OK 200 messages may besent by the called UE device 110 to IMS network 122 and forwarded to thecalling UE device 110.

VoLTE analysis system 124 may collect SIP call data from UE devices 110,IMS network 122, SIP gateway, and/or B2BUA device 128. For example,VoLTE analysis system 124 may collect SIP call information includingtechnology type header information, store the collected information, andperform analysis on the stored information. For example, VoLTE analysissystem 124 may determine the number of calls for particular technologytypes, determine a KPI for calls associated with particular technologytypes, and/or determine whether a number of SIP calls with a selectedtechnology type that is different than an available technology type isgreater than a threshold for a particular time period and/or servicearea.

SIP gateway 126 may interface a SIP network in provider network 120 withPSTN 160. For example, SIP gateway 126 may terminate a SIP call signal,generate time division multiplexing (TDM) signals, such as SignalingSystem No. 7 (SS7) signals, based on the SIP call signal, and providethe TDM signals to PSTN 160. Furthermore, SIP gateway 126 may receiveTDM signals from PSTN 160 and generate a SIP signal based on thereceived TDM signals. SIP gateway 126 may add an originating orterminating technology type header to a SIP call indicating that the SIPcall is associated with a PSTN technology type.

B2BUA device 128 may include any device configured as a SIP B2BUAdevice. A SIP B2BUA device may divide a SIP communication channel intotwo call segments, an incoming call segment and an outgoing callsegment. A SIP B2BUA may include an answering user agent (UA) thatreceives SIP messages from another UA, an originating UA that generatesSIP messages based on SIP messages received by the answering UA, andcall control logic that processes SIP messages received by the answeringUA. For example, the call control logic may perform authentication andauthorization, add a diversion header to a SIP message, process a SIPmessage based on a particular call scenario script, and/or perform otherprocessing in a SIP message. A B2BUA may be implemented, for example, byan Internet Protocol (IP) Private Branch Exchange (PBX), by a SessionBorder Controller (SBC), and/or by a SIP Application Server (AS). B2BUAdevice 128 may act as a user agent server for SIP calls originating fromdifferent provider network 170 and process the SIP calls as a user agentclient with respect to provider network 120. Furthermore, B2BUA device128 may act as a user agent server for SIP calls received via providernetwork 120 and process the SIP calls as a user agent client withrespect to calls that terminate in different provider network 170. B2BUAdevice 128 may add an originating or terminating technology type headerto a SIP call indicating that the SIP call is associated with aparticular technology type. B2BUA device 128 may include a technologytype DB that maintains information about particular technology typesassociated with different provider network 170 and may add anoriginating or terminating technology type header to a SIP call based oninformation stored in the technology type DB.

VoLTE access network 130 may provide wireless access to provider network120 for UE device 110-A via VoLTE. VoLTE access network 130 may includea base station 135 and UE device 110-A may wirelessly communicate withVoLTE access network 130 via base station 135. VoLTE access network 130may include a Long Term Evolution (LTE) access network (e.g., an evolvedpacket core (EPC) network) based on the LTE standard specified by the3^(rd) Generation Partnership Project (3GPP).

CDMA access network 140 may provide wireless access to provider network120 for UE device 110-B via CDMA. CDMA access network 140 may include abase station 145 and UE device 110-B may wirelessly communicate withCDMA access network 140 via base station 145. As an example, CDMA accessnetwork 140 may include a CDMA access network based on, for example, aCDMA2000 standard. In some implementations, the CDMA access network mayinclude a CDMA enhanced High Rate Packet Data (eHRPD) network. Asanother example, CDMA access network 140 may include an older legacyCDMA access network, such as an EV-DO CDMA network or an 1×RTT CDMAnetwork.

IP network 150 may include an IP network in communication with providernetwork 120. IP network 150 may include WiFi access point (AP) 155. WiFiAP 155 may provide short range wireless access to IP network 150 for UE110-C using WiFi based on an Institute of Electrical and ElectronicsEngineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard. UE 110-C may connect directly to a SIPnetwork in provider network 120 (e.g., to IMS network 122) via WiFi AP155. PSTN 160 may include the PSTN and connect to provider network 120via SIP gateway 126. UE 110-D may be connected to PSTN 160 via a wiredconnection.

Different provider network 170 may correspond to a provider networkassociated with a different provider of communication services (e.g., adifferent carrier) and may include a different SIP network. Differentprovider network 170 may connect to multiple wireless access networks(not shown in FIG. 1) associated with various technology types, such asVoLTE and/or CDMA. Furthermore, different provider network 170 mayconnect to various IP networks and may enable UE device 110-E to connectto different provider network 170 via WiFi APs and/or via PSTN 160.

Although FIG. 1 shows exemplary components of environment 100, in otherimplementations, environment 100 may include fewer components, differentcomponents, differently arranged components, or additional functionalcomponents than depicted in FIG. 1. Additionally or alternatively, oneor more components of environment 100 may perform functions described asbeing performed by one or more other components of environment 100.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating exemplary components of device 200according to an implementation described herein. UE device 110, VoLTEanalysis system 124, SIP gateway 126, and/or B2BUA device 128 may eachinclude one or more devices 200. As shown in FIG. 2, device 200 mayinclude a processing unit 210, a memory 220, a user interface 230, acommunication interface 240, and an antenna assembly 250.

Processing unit 210 may include one or more single-core or multi-coreprocessors, microprocessors, microcontrollers, application specificintegrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs),graphical processing units (GPUs), and/or other processing logic.Processing unit 210 may control operation of device 200 and itscomponents.

Memory 220 may include any type of dynamic storage device that may storeinformation and/or instructions, for execution by processing unit 210,and/or any type of non-volatile storage device that may storeinformation for use by processing unit 210. For example, memory 220 mayinclude a random access memory (RAM) or another type of dynamic storagedevice, a read-only memory (ROM) device or another type of staticstorage device, a content addressable memory (CAM), a magnetic and/oroptical recording memory device and its corresponding drive (e.g., ahard disk drive, optical drive, etc.), and/or a removable form ofmemory, such as a flash memory.

User interface 230 may allow a user to input information to device 200and/or to output information from device 200. Examples of user interface230 may include a speaker to receive electrical signals and output audiosignals; a camera to receive image and/or video signals and outputelectrical signals; a microphone to receive sounds and output electricalsignals; buttons (e.g., a joystick, control buttons, a keyboard, or keysof a keypad) and/or a touchscreen to receive control commands; adisplay, such as an LCD, to output visual information; an actuator tocause device 200 to vibrate; and/or any other type of input or outputdevice. In some implementations, device 200 may be managed remotely andmay not include user interface 230. In other words, device 200 may be“headless” and may not include a display, for example.

Communication interface 240 may include a transceiver that enablesdevice 200 to communicate with other devices and/or systems via wirelesscommunications (e.g., radio frequency, infrared, and/or visual optics,etc.), wired communications (e.g., conductive wire, twisted pair cable,coaxial cable, transmission line, fiber optic cable, and/or waveguide,etc.), or a combination of wireless and wired communications.Communication interface 240 may include a transmitter that convertsbaseband signals to radio frequency (RF) signals and/or a receiver thatconverts RF signals to baseband signals. Communication interface 240 maybe coupled to antenna assembly 250 for transmitting and receiving RFsignals.

Communication interface 240 may include a logical component thatincludes input and/or output ports, input and/or output systems, and/orother input and output components that facilitate the transmission ofdata to other devices. For example, communication interface 240 mayinclude a network interface card (e.g., Ethernet card) for wiredcommunications and/or a wireless network interface (e.g., a WiFi) cardfor wireless communications. Communication interface 240 may alsoinclude a universal serial bus (USB) port for communications over acable, a Bluetooth™ wireless interface, a radio-frequency identification(RFID) interface, a near-field communications (NFC) wireless interface,and/or any other type of interface that converts data from one form toanother form.

Antenna assembly 250 may include one or more antennas to transmit and/orreceive RF signals. Antenna assembly 250 may, for example, receive RFsignals from communication interface 240 and transmit the signals andreceive RF signals and provide them to communication interface 240. Insome implementations, device 200 may be configured to communicate viawired connections and may not include antenna assembly 250. For example,if device 200 is included in UE device 110, device 200 may includeantenna assembly 250. On the other hand, if device 200 is included inVoLTE analysis system 124, SIP gateway 126, and/or B2BUA device 128,device 200 may not include antenna assembly 250.

As described herein, device 200 may perform certain operations inresponse to processing unit 210 executing software instructionscontained in a computer-readable medium, such as memory 220. Acomputer-readable medium may be defined as a non-transitory memorydevice. A non-transitory memory device may include memory space within asingle physical memory device or spread across multiple physical memorydevices. The software instructions may be read into memory 220 fromanother computer-readable medium or from another device viacommunication interface 240. The software instructions contained inmemory 220 may cause processing unit 210 to perform processes that willbe described later. Alternatively, hardwired circuitry may be used inplace of, or in combination with, software instructions to implementprocesses described herein. Thus, implementations described herein arenot limited to any specific combination of hardware circuitry andsoftware.

Although FIG. 2 shows example components of device 200, in otherimplementations, device 200 may include fewer components, differentcomponents, differently arranged components, or additional componentsthan depicted in FIG. 2. Additionally or alternatively, one or morecomponents of device 200 may perform the tasks described as beingperformed by one or more other components of device 200.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating exemplary functional components of UEdevice 110 according to an implementation described herein. Thefunctional components of UE device 110 may be implemented, for example,via processing unit 210 executing instructions from memory 220.Alternatively, some or all of the functional components of UE device 110may be implemented via hard-wired circuitry. As shown in FIG. 3, UEdevice 110 may include a one or more technology modules 310-A to 310-N(referred to herein individually as “technology module 310” andcollectively as “technology modules 310”), a call control logic 320, anda base station interface 330.

Technology module 310 may correspond to a module configured to enable UEdevice 110 to communicate using a particular technology type. Forexample, technology module 310-A may correspond to a VoLTE chipset,technology module 310-B may correspond to a CDMA chipset, technologymodule 310-C may correspond to a WiFi chipset, etc. Each technologymodule 310 may provide information to call control logic 320 relating towhether a corresponding technology type is available. For example, aVoLTE technology module may provide information relating to whetherVoLTE access network 130 is available based on signals detected frombase station 135, a CDMA technology module may provide informationrelating to whether CDMA access network 140 is available based onsignals detected from base station 145, a WiFi technology module mayprovide information relating to whether WiFi AP 155 is available, etc.

Call control logic 320 may control the origination, processing, and/ortermination of SIP calls. Call control logic 320 may include atechnology type header logic 340. Technology type header logic 340 maygenerate a technology type header based on information received fromtechnology modules 310. As an example, technology type header logic 340may generate an originating available technology type header and/or anoriginating selected technology type header for calls originating fromUE device 110. As another example, technology type header logic 340 maygenerate a terminating available technology type header and/or aterminating selected technology type header for calls terminating to UEdevice 110.

Base station interface 330 may be configured to communicate with a basestation (e.g., base station 135, base station 145, etc.). Base stationinterface 330 may send SIP messages from UE 110 to IMS network 122and/or may receive SIP messages from IMS network 122.

Although FIG. 3 shows exemplary functional components of UE device 110,in other implementations, UE device 110 may include fewer functionalcomponents, different functional components, differently arrangedfunctional components, or additional functional components than depictedin FIG. 3. Additionally or alternatively, one or more functionalcomponents of UE device 110 may perform functions described as beingperformed by one or more other functional components of UE device 110.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating exemplary functional components of adevice 400 according to an implementation described herein. SIP gateway126 and/or B2BUA device 128 may each include one or more functionaldevices 400. The functional components of device 400 may be implemented,for example, via processing unit 210 executing instructions from memory220. Alternatively, some or all of the functional components of device400 may be implemented via hard-wired circuitry. As shown in FIG. 4,device 400 may include a provider network user agent 410, a call controllogic 420, and a different network interface 430.

Provider network user agent 410 may function as a user agent server withrespect to SIP calls received via another network (e.g., PSTN 160,different provider network 170, etc.) and may act as a user agent clientwith respect to calls outgoing to SIP devices from provider network 120to the other networks.

Call control logic 420 may control the origination, processing, and/ortermination of SIP calls. Call control logic 420 may include atechnology type header logic 440 and a technology type DB 450.

Technology type header logic 440 may generate a technology type headerbased on information received from different network interface 430 andbased on information stored in technology type DB 450. Technology typeDB 450 may store information identifying technology types associatedwith the different networks reachable through different networkinterface 430.

Different network interface 430 may interface with the other network. Asan example, if device 400 corresponds to SIP gateway 126, differentnetwork interface 430 may interface with PSTN 160 and may convert SIPcalls to TDM signals and vice versa. As another example, if device 400corresponds to B2BUA device 128, different network interface 430 mayinclude a user agent that functions as a user agent server with respectto calls received from provider network 120 and may act as a user agentclient with respect to SIP calls from different provider network 170.

If device 400 corresponds to SIP gateway 126, technology type DB 450 mayidentify all calls received via different network interface 430 as PSTNcalls. If device 400 corresponds to B2BUA device 128, technology type DB450 may associate different access networks with different technologytypes. In some implementations, the information stored in technologytype DB 450 may be obtained from different provider network 170 via anagreement between provider network 120 and different provider network170. A particular access network associated with a SIP call originatingfrom or terminating in different provider network 170 may be identifiedbased on, for example, an IP address, a SIP address, and/or other typesof identifying information included in a SIP header of the SIP call.

Although FIG. 4 shows exemplary functional components of device 400, inother implementations, device 400 may include fewer functionalcomponents, different functional components, differently arrangedfunctional components, or additional functional components than depictedin FIG. 4. Additionally or alternatively, one or more functionalcomponents of device 400 may perform functions described as beingperformed by one or more other functional components of device 400.

FIG. 5A is a diagram illustrating exemplary functional components ofVoLTE analysis system 124 according to an implementation describedherein. The functional components of VoLTE analysis system 124 may beimplemented, for example, via processing unit 210 executing instructionsfrom memory 220. Alternatively, some or all of the functional componentsof VoLTE analysis system 124 may be implemented via hard-wiredcircuitry. As shown in FIG. 5A, VoLTE analysis system 124 may include adata collection module 510, a statistics DB 520, an analysis module 530,an alarm module 540, and a user interface 550.

Data collection module 510 may collect SIP call data from UE devices110, from IMS networks 122, from SIP gateways 126, and/or from B2BUAdevices 128 and may store the collected SIP call data in statistics DB520. Statistics DB 520 may store SIP call data and analysis datagenerated based on the SIP call data. Exemplary information that may bestored in statistics DB 520 is described below with reference to FIG.5B.

Analysis module 530 may analyze the SIP call data stored in statisticsDB 520. For example, analysis module 530 may determine the number of SIPcalls for particular technology types; may calculate, for a particularservice area, a number of SIP calls with a selected technology type thatis different than an available technology type; determine one or moreKPIs for a particular technology types and/or types of SIP calls;determine particular technology types used by particular subscribers orby particular classes of subscribers (e.g., minutes of use for aparticular technology for a particular subscriber or type ofsubscriber); and/or perform other types of analysis.

Alarm module 540 may be configured to generate an alarm when aparticular condition associated with SIP call data has been detected.For example, alarm module 540 may determine that a calculated number ofSIP calls with a selected technology type that is different than anavailable technology type is greater than a threshold, and may generatea service alarm in response.

User interface 550 may be configured to provide information generated bydata collection module 510, analysis module 530, and/or alarm module toan administrator. As an example, user interface 550 may display analysisresults generated by analysis module 530 and/or stored in statistics DB520 based on collected SIP call data that includes technology typeheaders. As another example, user interface 550 may display an alarmgenerated by alarm module 540 about a detected condition associated withthe collected SIP call data that includes technology type headers.

Although FIG. 5A shows exemplary functional components of VoLTE analysissystem 124, in other implementations, VoLTE analysis system 124 mayinclude fewer functional components, different functional components,differently arranged functional components, or additional functionalcomponents than depicted in FIG. 5A. Additionally or alternatively, oneor more functional components of VoLTE analysis system 124 may performfunctions described as being performed by one or more other functionalcomponents of VoLTE analysis system 124.

FIG. 5B is a diagram illustrating exemplary components of statistics DB520. As shown in FIG. 5B, statistics DB 520 may include a subscriber DB560, a technology type DB 570, a KPI DB 580, and a technology selectionDB 590.

Subscriber DB 560 may store information relating to particularsubscribers. For example, subscriber DB 560 may store informationrelating to particular technology types used by particular subscribersand/or information relating to particular technology types used byparticular types of subscribers (e.g., particular types ofsubscriptions, particular device models, particular service areas,etc.).

Technology type DB 570 may store information relating to the number ofSIP calls between particular technology types within a particular timeperiod that were processed by provider network 120. For example,technology type DB 570 may store information identifying the number ofVoLTE to VoLTE calls within a particular time period, the number ofVoLTE to CDMA calls within the particular time period, the number ofCDMA to VoLTE calls within the particular time period, the number ofVoLTE to WiFi calls within the particular time period, the number ofWiFi to VoLTE calls within the particular time period, the number ofVoLTE to PSTN calls within the particular time period, the number ofPSTN to VoLTE calls within the particular time period, the number ofVoLTE calls to a particular different provider network within theparticular time period, and/or the number of VoLTE calls received from aparticular different provider network within the particular time period.

KPI DB 580 may store KPIs for SIP calls between particular technologytypes. For example, for SIP calls between particular technology types,KPI DB 580 may store information, for SIP calls between two particulartechnology types relating to a call set up rate, a call drop rate, acall complete rate, a handover rate, a resource block utilization rate,a cell and/or base station traffic volume, a call latency rate, athroughput rate, and/or a different KPI.

Technology selection DB 590 may store information relating to whichtechnology type was selected with respect to the available technologytype for SIP calls. For example, technology selection DB 590 may store,for a particular service area, a number of SIP calls with a particularselected technology type that is different than a particular availabletechnology type (e.g., a number of times CDMA access network 140 wasselected even though VoLTE access network 130 was available).

Although FIG. 5B shows exemplary fields stored in statistics DB 520, inother implementations, statistics DB 520 may include fewer fields,different fields, differently arranged fields, or additional fields thandepicted in FIG. 5B.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating exemplary components of a SIP message600 according to an implementation described herein. As shown in FIG. 6,SIP message 600 may correspond to a SIP INVITE message and may includean originating available technology type header 610 and an originatingselected technology type header 620.

Originating available technology type header 610 may identify a bestavailable originating technology type. Technology types may be ranked inpreference and the available technology type with the highest rankedpreference may be designated as the best available technology type. Forexample, if VoLTE is available, VoLTE may be designated as the bestavailable technology type and included in originating availabletechnology type header 610, as shown in the example of FIG. 6.

Originating selected available technology type header 620 may identifythe technology type that was selected by the originating UE device 110that initiated the SIP call. For example, if VoLTE was available and theoriginating UE device 110 selected CDMA access network 140 to connect toprovider network (e.g., because the VoLTE signal had poor signalquality, because the VoLTE base station has exceeded capacity, becauseVoLTE capability in the originating UE device 110 was not activated,etc.), CDMA may be designated as the selected technology type andincluded in originating selected technology type header 620, as shown inthe example of FIG. 6.

Although FIG. 6 shows exemplary fields stored in SIP message 600, inother implementations, SIP message 600 may include fewer fields,different fields, differently arranged fields, or additional fields thandepicted in FIG. 6. For example, while FIG. 6 shows originatingavailable technology type header 610 and originating selected technologytype header 620 as separate headers, in other implementations, theinformation in originating available technology type header 610 andoriginating selected technology type header 620 may be included in asingle header.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a first process for adding a technology typeheader according to an implementation described herein. In someimplementations, the process of FIG. 7 may be performed by UE device110. In other implementations, some or all of the process of FIG. 7 maybe performed by another device or a group of devices separate from UEdevice 110. For example, some or all of the process of FIG. 7 may beperformed by SIP gateway 126 or B2BUA device 128.

The process of FIG. 7 may include detecting an originating SIP call(block 710). As an example, UE device 110 may detect that a user, or anapplication running on UE device 110, has requested to initiate a SIPcall to another UE device 110 or to an application server. As anotherexample, B2BUA device 128 may receive a SIP call from different providernetwork 170. As yet another example, SIP gateway 126 may receive a PSTNcall from PSTN network 160.

An available technology type to carry the SIP call from the originatingdevice may be identified (block 720) and a header may be generated thatincludes the information identifying the originating availabletechnology type (block 730). As an example, call control logic 320 maycommunicate with technology modules 310 to determine which technologytypes are available. For example, a VoLTE technology module 310-A maydetect signals from a VoLTe base stations (e.g., base station 135) and aCDMA technology module 310-B may detect signals from a CDMA basestations (e.g., base station 145). Call control logic 320 may identifythe best available technology type based on a specified ranking oftechnology types, select the best available technology type as theavailable technology type, and include the identified availabletechnology type in the originating available technology type header. Asanother example, SIP gateway 126 may identify the available technologytype as PSTN based on a call originating from PSTN 160. As yet anotherexample, B2BUA device 128 may identify an available technology typebased on one or more identifiers included in a received SIP INVITE andbased on information stored in technology type DB 450.

A selected technology type to carry the SIP call from the originatingdevice may be identified (block 740) and a header may be generated thatincludes the information identifying the originating selected technologytype (block 750). As an example, call control logic 320 may select aparticular technology type. A technology type different from a bestavailable technology type may be selected to connect to provider network120 and thus to carry SIP calls to provider network 120. As an example,VoLTE access network 130 may be available, but one or more qualitymetrics may be below a threshold (e.g., a signal strength, a throughputrate, an error rate, etc.) and a different access network may beselected (e.g., CDMA access network 140). As another example, UE device110 may not have VoLTE capability or an existing VoLTE capability maynot be activated. As yet another example, VoLTE access network 130 mayreject a request from UE device 110 to attach because VoLTE accessnetwork 130 may be exceeding capacity. As another example, B2BUA device128 may identify a selected technology type based on one or moreidentifiers included in a received SIP INVITE and based on informationstored in technology type DB 450. In situations in which the process ofFIG. 7 is performed by SIP gateway 126, the available and selectedtechnology level may be the same and there may be no need to includeboth headers. Thus, a single originating technology type header may beused to identify the technology type as PSTN.

The originating SIP call may be forwarded with the generated headers(block 760). For example, the originating SIP call may be forwarded withan originating available technology type header and/or an originatingselected technology type header toward a user agent associated with thedestination of the SIP call.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a second process for adding a technology typeheader according to an implementation described herein. In someimplementations, the process of FIG. 8 may be performed by UE device110. In other implementations, some or all of the process of FIG. 8 maybe performed by another device or a group of devices separate from UEdevice 110. For example, some or all of the process of FIG. 8 may beperformed by SIP gateway 126 or B2BUA device 128.

The process of FIG. 8 may include detecting a terminating SIP call(block 810). As an example, UE device 110 may receive a SIP call fromanother UE device 110. As another example, B2BUA device 128 may receivea SIP call from provider network 120 that is terminating in differentprovider network 170. As yet another example, SIP gateway 126 mayreceive a SIP call from provider network 120 that is terminating in PSTNnetwork 160.

An available technology type to carry the SIP call to the terminatingdevice may be identified (block 820) and a header may be generated thatincludes the information identifying the terminating availabletechnology type (block 830). As an example, call control logic 320 maycommunicate with technology modules 310 to determine which technologytypes are available as explained above with reference to FIG. 7. Asanother example, SIP gateway 126 may identify the available technologytype as PSTN based on a call terminating in PSTN 160. As yet anotherexample, B2BUA device 128 may identify an available technology typebased on one or more identifiers included in a received SIP 200 OKreceived from the responding terminating UE device 110 and based oninformation stored in technology type DB 450.

A selected technology type to carry the SIP call from the terminatingdevice may be identified (block 840) and a header may be generated thatincludes the information identifying the terminating selected technologytype (block 850). As an example, call control logic 320 may select aparticular technology type. A technology type different from a bestavailable technology type may be selected to connect to provider network120 and thus to carry SIP calls from provider network 120 as explainedabove with reference to FIG. 7. As another example, B2BUA device 128 mayidentify a selected technology type based on one or more identifiersincluded in a received SIP 200 OK message and based on informationstored in technology type DB 450. In situations in which the process ofFIG. 8 is performed by SIP gateway 126, the available and selectedtechnology level may be the same and there may be no need to includeboth headers. Thus, a single terminating technology type header may beused to identify the technology type as PSTN.

The terminating SIP call may be processed with the generated headers(block 860). For example, a responding SIP 200 OK message from theterminating UE device 110 may be forwarded toward the originating UEdevice 110 with a terminating available technology type header and/or aterminating selected technology type header toward a user agentassociated with the destination of the SIP call.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a process for using technology type informationobtained from SIP headers according to an implementation describedherein. In some implementations, the process of FIG. 9 may be performedby VoLTE analysis system 124. In other implementations, some or all ofthe process of FIG. 9 may be performed by another device or a group ofdevices separate from VoLTE analysis system 124.

The process of FIG. 9 may include collecting information relating to SIPcalls (block 910). For example, VoLTE analysis system 124 may collectSIP call records stored by IMS network 122, SIP gateway 126, and/orB2BUA device 18 at particular intervals. In some implementations andwith users' permissions, VoLTE analysis system 124 may collect SIP callrecords directly from UE devices 110.

Information identifying available and/or selected technology types forthe SIP calls may be retrieved (block 920) and the number of SIP callsfor particular technology types may be determined (block 930). Forexample, analysis module 530 may retrieve the identified technologytypes from originating available technology type headers, originatingselected technology type headers, terminating available technology typeheaders, and/or terminating selected technology type headers of thecollected SIP call records, may identify the number of SIP calls forparticular pairs of technology types, and may store the informationidentifying the number of SIP calls for particular pairs of technologytypes in technology type DB 570.

Particular technology types used by particular subscribers may bedetermined (block 940). For example, analysis module 530 may identifyparticular subscribers and/or particular types of subscribers based onthe collected SIP call records and may identify a frequency ofoccurrence of particular technology types and store the identifiedfrequency of occurrence of particular technology types in subscriber DB560. As an example, analysis module 530 may determine a ratio of VoLTEuse versus CDMA use for a particular model of mobile phone. As anotherexample, analysis module 530 may determine that subscribers in aparticular service area never use WiFi for SIP calls. As anotherexample, analysis module 530 may correlate minutes of use for eachtechnology type for particular users or particular types of users.

KPIs based on technology types may be determined (block 950). Forexample, analysis module 530 may determine one or more KPIs for SIPcalls between two particular technology types (e.g., VoLTE to VoLTEcalls, VoLTE to CDMA calls, etc.), such as a call set up rate, a calldrop rate, a call complete rate, a handover rate, a resource blockutilization rate, a cell and/or base station traffic volume, a calllatency rate, a throughput rate, and/or a different KPI. The KPIinformation may be used, for example, to determine whether particularKPIs are being driven by a particular call scenario (e.g., a particularoriginating technology type to a particular terminating technologytype).

SIP calls for which a selected technology type is different from anavailable technology type may be identified (block 960). For example,analysis module 530 may identify SIP call records, for a particularservice area, for which the selected technology type differs from theavailable technology type (e.g., a number of times CDMA access networkwas selected even though VoLTE access network was available). If thenumber of identified SIP calls for which the selected technology typediffers from the available technology type is greater than a threshold,a problem in the particular service area may be indicated, and an alarmmay be generated. The alarm may indicate to the provider that, forexample, VoLTE service in the particular service area should beupgraded.

FIG. 10 is a diagram of a first exemplary signal flow 1000 according toan implementation described herein. Signal flow 1000 depicts a VoLTE toVoLTE call and assumes that the best available technology type wasselected for both the originating and terminating device. Signal flow1000 may include UE device 110-A1 originating a SIP call to UE device110-A2. UE device 110-A1 may detect the availability of VoLTE accessnetwork 130, generate an originating technology type header, and add thegenerated originating technology type header to a SIP invite message(block 1012). UE device 110-A1 may then send the SIP INVITE message toUE device 110-A2 via a CSCF device 1010 of IMS network 122 (signal1014). CSCF device 1010 in IMS network 122 may receive the SIP INVITEmessage and may forward the SIP INVITE message to UE device 110-A2(signal 1016).

UE device 110-A2 may receive the SIP INVITE message and may generate aSIP 200 OK response indicating that the SIP INVITE message has beenreceived. UE 110-A2 may detect the availability of VoLTE access network130 and may generate a terminating technology type header and add thegenerated terminating technology type header to a SIP 200 OK message(block 1018). UE device 110-A2 may then send the SIP 200 OK message toUE device 110-A1 via CSCF device 1010 of IMS network 110 (signals 1020and 1022). CSCF 1010 may record the SIP call data, including theoriginating technology type header and the terminating technology typeheader (block 1030), and may report the SIP call data to VoLTE analysissystem 124 (signal 1032).

FIG. 11 is a diagram of a second exemplary signal flow 1100 according toan implementation described herein. Signal flow 1100 depicts a VoLTE toPSTN call and assumes that the best available technology type wasselected for both the originating and terminating device. Signal flow1100 may include UE device 110-A originating a SIP call to UE device110-D. UE device 110-A may detect the availability of VoLTE accessnetwork 130, generate an originating technology type header, and add thegenerated originating technology type header to a SIP invite message(block 1112). UE device 110-A may then send the SIP INVITE message to UEdevice 110-D via CSCF device 1010 of IMS network 122 (signal 1114). CSCFdevice 1010 in IMS network 122 may receive the SIP INVITE message,determine that the intended destination of the SIP INVITE message isreachable via SIP gateway 126, and forward the SIP INVITE message to SIPgateway 126 (signal 1116).

SIP gateway 126 may initiate a PSTN call and may set up a connectionwith UE 110-D via PSTN 160 (signal 1120). UE 110-D may answer the calland respond to SIP gateway 126. SIP gateway 126 may generate aterminating technology type header to identify the terminatingtechnology type as PSTN, add the generated terminating technology typeheader to a SIP 200 OK message (block 1130), and send the SIP 200 OKmessage to UE device 110-A via CSCF device 1010 (signals 1132 and 1134).CSCF 1010 may record the SIP call data, including the originatingtechnology type header and the terminating technology type header (block1140), and may report the SIP call data to VoLTE analysis system 124(signal 1142).

FIG. 12 is a diagram of a third exemplary signal flow 1200 according toan implementation described herein. Signal flow 1200 depicts a CDMA callfrom a different provider network to a VoLTE call and assumes that thebest available technology type was selected for both the originating andterminating device. Signal flow 1200 may include UE 110-E originating aSIP call to UE device 110-A. UE device 110-E may not be configured toadd an originating technology header to a SIP call. UE device 110-E maydetermine that UE device 110-A is reachable via B2BUA device 128 and maysend a SIP INVITE message to B2BUA device 128 (signal 1212). B2BUAdevice 128 may access technology type DB 450 to identify a technologytype associated with UE device 110-E. For example, technology type DB450 may store information identifying technology types for particularaccess networks associated with different provider network 170. AssumeB2BUA device 128 identifies an access network (e.g., based on an IPaddress included in the received SIP INVITE message) as a CDMA accessnetwork. B2BUA device 128 may then generate an originating technologytype header identifying the technology type as CDMA and add thegenerated originating technology type header to a SIP invite message(block 1214). B2BUA device 128 may then send the SIP INVITE message toUE device 110-A via a CSCF device 1010 of IMS network 122 (signal 1216).CSCF device 1010 in IMS network 122 may receive the SIP INVITE messageand forward the SIP INVITE message to UE device 110-A (signal 1218).

UE device 110-A may receive the SIP INVITE message and generate a SIP200 OK response indicating that the SIP INVITE message has beenreceived. UE 110-A may detect the availability of VoLTE access network130, generate a terminating technology type header, and add thegenerated terminating technology type header to a SIP 200 OK message(block 1220). UE device 110-A may then send the SIP 200 OK message toB2BUA device 128 via CSCF device 1010 of IMS network 122 (signals 1222and 1224). B2BUA device 128 may forward the SIP 200 OK message to UEdevice 110-E (signal 1226). CSCF 1010 may further record the SIP calldata, including the originating technology type header and theterminating technology type header (block 1240), and may report the SIPcall data to VoLTE analysis system 124 (signal 1242).

In the preceding specification, various preferred embodiments have beendescribed with reference to the accompanying drawings. It will, however,be evident that various modifications and changes may be made thereto,and additional embodiments may be implemented, without departing fromthe broader scope of the invention as set forth in the claims thatfollow. The specification and drawings are accordingly to be regarded inan illustrative rather than restrictive sense.

For example, while series of blocks have been described with respect toFIGS. 7-9, and series of signal flows have been described with respectto FIGS. 10-12, the order of the blocks and/or signal flows may bemodified in other implementations. Further, non-dependent blocks may beperformed in parallel.

It will be apparent that systems and/or methods, as described above, maybe implemented in many different forms of software, firmware, andhardware in the implementations illustrated in the figures. The actualsoftware code or specialized control hardware used to implement thesesystems and methods is not limiting of the embodiments. Thus, theoperation and behavior of the systems and methods were described withoutreference to the specific software code—it being understood thatsoftware and control hardware can be designed to implement the systemsand methods based on the description herein.

Further, certain portions, described above, may be implemented as acomponent that performs one or more functions. A component, as usedherein, may include hardware, such as a processor, an ASIC, or a FPGA,or a combination of hardware and software (e.g., a processor executingsoftware).

It should be emphasized that the terms “comprises”/“comprising” whenused in this specification are taken to specify the presence of statedfeatures, integers, steps or components but does not preclude thepresence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps,components or groups thereof

The term “logic,” as used herein, may refer to a combination of one ormore processors configured to execute instructions stored in one or morememory devices, may refer to hardwired circuitry, and/or may refer to acombination thereof. Furthermore, a logic may be included in a singledevice or may be distributed across multiple, and possibly remote,devices.

For the purposes of describing and defining the present invention, it isadditionally noted that the term “substantially” is utilized herein torepresent the inherent degree of uncertainty that may be attributed toany quantitative comparison, value, measurement, or otherrepresentation. The term “substantially” is also utilized herein torepresent the degree by which a quantitative representation may varyfrom a stated reference without resulting in a change in the basicfunction of the subject matter at issue.

To the extent the aforementioned embodiments collect, store or employpersonal information provided by individuals, it should be understoodthat such information shall be used in accordance with all applicablelaws concerning protection of personal information. Additionally, thecollection, storage and use of such information may be subject toconsent of the individual to such activity, for example, through wellknown “opt-in” or “opt-out” processes as may be appropriate for thesituation and type of information. Storage and use of personalinformation may be in an appropriately secure manner reflective of thetype of information, for example, through various encryption andanonymization techniques for particularly sensitive information.

No element, act, or instruction used in the present application shouldbe construed as critical or essential to the embodiments unlessexplicitly described as such. Also, as used herein, the article “a” isintended to include one or more items. Further, the phrase “based on” isintended to mean “based, at least in part, on” unless explicitly statedotherwise.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: detecting, by a computerdevice, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) call from an originatingdevice, wherein the computer device includes a wireless communicationdevice, a SIP gateway device, or a back-to-back user agent (B2BUA)device; identifying, by the computer device, an available technologytype to carry the SIP call from the originating device; andincorporating, by the computer device, information identifying theidentified available technology type into the SIP call, before the SIPcall is forwarded toward a destination.
 2. The method of claim 1,wherein the computer device includes the wireless communication device.3. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer device includes the SIPgateway device or the B2BUA device.
 4. The method of claim 1, whereinthe information identifying the identified available technology type tocarry the SIP call from the originating device includes informationidentifying at least one of: a Voice over Long Term Evolution (VoLTE)access network; a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) access network; aWiFi access point; or a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN).
 5. Themethod of claim 1, wherein identifying the available technology type tocarry the SIP call from the originating device includes: determiningthat the SIP call originated from a provider network other than aprovider network associated with the computer device; and accessing aprovider network database to determine a technology type associated withthe other provider network.
 6. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: identifying, by the computer device, a selected technologytype to carry the SIP call from the originating device; generating, bythe computer device, an originating selected technology type header thatincludes information identifying the originating selected technologytype to carry the SIP call from the originating device; and forwardingthe SIP call toward a destination with the generated originatingselected technology type header.
 7. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: detecting, by the computer device, a terminating SIP call;identifying, by the computer device, an available technology type tocarry the terminating SIP call to a terminating device; generating, bythe computer device, a terminating available technology type header thatincludes information identifying the identified available technologytype to carry the terminating SIP call to the terminating device; andprocessing the terminating SIP call with the generated terminatingavailable technology type header.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein theavailable technology type to carry the terminating SIP call to theterminating device includes: a Voice over Long Term Evolution (VoLTE)access network; a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) access network; aWiFi access point; or a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN).
 9. Themethod of claim 7, wherein identifying the available technology type tocarry the terminating SIP call to the terminating device includes:determining that the SIP call is to terminate in a provider networkother than a provider network associated with the computer device; andaccessing a provider network database to determine a technology typeassociated with the other provider network.
 10. The method of claim 7,further comprising: identifying, by the computer device, a selectedtechnology type to carry the terminating SIP call to the terminatingdevice; generating, by the computer device, a terminating selectedtechnology type header that includes information identifying theterminating selected technology type to carry the terminating SIP callto the terminating device; and processing the SIP call with thegenerated terminating selected technology type header.
 11. A computerdevice comprising: a memory configured to store instructions; and aprocessor configured to execute the instructions to: detect a SessionInitiation Protocol (SIP) call from an originating device, wherein thecomputer device includes a wireless communication device, a SIP gatewaydevice, or a back-to-back user agent (B2BUA) device; identify anavailable technology type to carry the SIP call from the originatingdevice; and incorporate information identifying the identified availabletechnology type into the SIP call, before the SIP call is forwardedtoward a destination.
 12. The computer device of claim 11, wherein thecomputer device includes the wireless communication device.
 13. Thecomputer device of claim 11, wherein the computer device includes theSIP gateway device or the B2BUA device.
 14. The computer device of claim11, wherein the processor is further configured to execute theinstructions to: identify a selected technology type to carry the SIPcall from the originating device; generate an originating selectedtechnology type header that includes information identifying theoriginating selected technology type to carry the SIP call from theoriginating device; and forward the SIP call toward a destination withthe generated originating selected technology type header.
 15. Thecomputer device of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configuredto execute the instructions to: detect a terminating SIP call; identifyan available technology type to carry the terminating SIP call to aterminating device; generate a terminating available technology typeheader that includes information identifying the identified availabletechnology type to carry the terminating SIP call to the terminatingdevice; and process the terminating SIP call with the generatedterminating available technology type header.
 16. The computer device ofclaim 15, wherein at least one of the available technology type to carrythe terminating SIP call from the originating device or the availabletechnology type to carry the terminating SIP call to the terminatingdevice includes: a Voice over Long Term Evolution (VoLTE) accessnetwork; a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) access network; a WiFiaccess point; or a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN).
 17. Thecomputer device of claim 15, wherein, when identifying at least one ofthe available technology type to carry the SIP call from the originatingdevice or the available technology type to carry the terminating SIPcall to the terminating device includes: determining that the SIP callis originating or is to terminate in a provider network other than aprovider network associated with the computer device; and accessing aprovider network database to determine a technology type associated withthe other provider network.
 18. A system comprising: a first computerdevice configured to: detect a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) callfrom an originating device; identify an available technology type tocarry the SIP call from the originating device; incorporate informationidentifying the identified available technology type into the SIP call,before the SIP call is forwarded toward a destination; and storeinformation relating to the SIP call, wherein the stored informationincludes the information identifying the identified available technologytype; and a second computer device configured to: retrieve the storedinformation relating to the SIP call; and determine a number of SIPcalls for particular technology types based on the retrieved informationrelating to a plurality of SIP calls that include the SIP call.
 19. Thesystem of claim 18, wherein the number of SIP calls for particulartechnology types includes at least two of: a number of Voice over LongTerm Evolution (VoLTE) to VoLTE calls within a particular time period; anumber of VoLTE to Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) calls within theparticular time period; a number of VoLTE to WiFi calls within theparticular time period; a number of VoLTE to Public Switched TelephoneNetwork (PSTN) calls within the particular time period; or a number ofVoLTE to other carriers calls within the particular time period.
 20. Thesystem of claim 18, wherein the second computer device is furtherconfigured to: calculate, for a particular service area, a number of SIPcalls with a selected technology type that is different than anavailable technology type; determine that the calculated number of SIPcalls with the selected technology type that is different than theavailable technology type is greater than a threshold; and generate aservice alarm, in response to determining that the calculated number ofSIP calls with the selected technology type that is different than theavailable technology type is greater than the threshold.